Friday, September 28, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - When Korean rapper Psy returned to Korea last Sept. 25 after his successful promotion in the US, he vowed to perform topless if "Gangnam Style" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

He better get ready as the song jumped to No. 2 this week and looms to become the first Korean song to top the Hot 100 chart.

Psy in Korea (Photos by www.newsen.com)

#GangnamStyleNo.2onBillboardHot100 Make some noise~!!!!!!!!!" Psy tweeted.

Billboard.com said the points gap between the chart topper "One More Night" by Maroon 5 and "Gangnam Style" are tight that "the stage could be set for Psy to trot into the chart's winner's circle as soon as next week."

After debuting at No. 64 on the Hot 100, "Gangnam Style" leaped to No. 11 last week.

"['Gangnam Style'] surges in all fields that contribute to the Hot 100's data pool," Billboard said.

Based on the new Billboard charts, "Gangnam Style" is No. 1 on Digital Songs, up from fourth, 25th and 49th places in the past consecutive weeks. The song had 301,000 downloads last week, up by 60 percent, the chart said.

It is also No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart, rising to the top from No. 3 last week.

"Gangnam Style" is also No. 19 on Pop Songs from No. 28 last week; No. 9 on On-Demand Songs from No. 43 last week; No. 34 on Radio Songs from No. 68; and No. 34 on Radio Songs from No. 68.

Psy is still No. 1 on Billboard's Social 50 and YouTube charts.

"Gangnam Style" is also No. 3 on the United Kingdom Songs chart, jumping from 37th place last week.

The Official Charts Co. predicted that the song "could finally be on course to snatch the UK’s Official Singles Chart top spot this Sunday."

An update last Sept. 26 showed "Gangnam Style" is No. 1 on the Official UK Singles Chart Top 40.

On YouTube, "Gangnam Style" is on course to reach the 300-million-view mark. As of this writing, the music video has 295 million views.

During a press conference in Gangnam, Seoul last Tuesday, Psy said he couldn't believe the success he achieved with "Gangnam Style."

“I feel like I am dreaming and I am still at a loss for words. This wasn’t something that I planned for but it just happened. I thought I was going through the peak of my life before. But now.. wow.. some impossible things have happened to me," said Psy, according to the Korea Herald.

Psy said he will return to the US in October and release a new single in the US later this year.

“In the US, I’m planning to release a new single. There are plans to release a new album around the Christmas holiday season. I was surprised that the Universal Music wants me to sing in Korean later on. They find rapping in Korean chewy,” he said.

He said he is thankful to everyone who enjoyed "Gangnam Style."

“I’m grateful that people enjoyed listening to my rap in Korean, even though they do not understand what I’m saying. They are trying to follow my diction and pronunciation and that makes me proud," he said.

He said he would rather be called an "international singer" than a "world star."

Psy promised to perform "Gangnam Style" in front of Seoul City Hall topless when it reaches No. 1 on the Billboard chart.